As I’ve posted on here various times already, I have been experiencing the most heinous acid reflux for almost a month now. I can’t eat much of anything and I feel like I have something lodged in my throat, which sends me into a panic attack several times a day. Doctors aren’t allowed to do invasive testing right now so who knows how long I will have to wait for an upper endoscopy. My doctor prescribed Omeprazole twice a day for 2 months. I’ve only taken it for 3 days but I’m not having any improvement. Do any of you have something that works well? Doctor said I could switch if I wasn’t feeling better.
PPI recommendations?
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prismpower
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I suffer with this too. It's really bad.
You might need a stronger dose from it. How many mgs did he prescribe. I think doctors are sometimes overly cautious as they don't want to give you too high of dose because of side effects and serious complications that could occur later on.
Breathing exercises and self calming techniques and thinking happy thoughts all help my acid reflux sometimes. I understand its a daily struggle. It can come on suddenly. Is it a type of thing where sometimes you feel fine/okay but then you don't. etc. Also try some gentle exercises if u can, 30 mins a day. Try not to be stressed out about anything.
Try breathing in through your mouth for 5 seconds, and then exhaling the air and breathing out for 15 seconds while saying OMMMMM. Don't think about anything , just do the techinque. As much as u can/want until you calm down and start to feel better. This also can help.
There are other meds that work stronger than Omeprazole he could prescribe u. I forgot the name of them, but you could try that. I had to take that for while when it was really bad. Now I'm back on the Omeprazole.
Understand your trigger foods. This is a little more tricky.... but I personally need to stay away from onions and processed junk food. Make ur meals small and light. Its okay to not eat for awhile. Small healthy and light meals are better anyway.
Try not to lie down after 30 mins of eating or drinking. Easier said than done but it really helps. Force yourself to at least sit up and not lie down.
I like coffee but it also seems to trigger it really bad in the mornings. ITs hard cuz I love the taste and smell of it- but it seems to be a trigger for me. Slowly eat and sip, its better for u anyway. Sleep with an elevated pillow if u aren't already. Join a program to lose dangerous belly fat around the middle, which could be pushing organs up in bad places and causing bad chest discomfort. Keep a food journal to keep ur weight/health in check and to pay attention to trigger foods. Acting too carefree with it and not fight directly against it- it can creep up on you again.
Don't do bad habits again when you start to feel better and ur body heals. This hard for me as if i feel good- i think I can do something bad for it because 'it can take it' but its stupid thinking. just stay on track with the plan.
I know how much of a struggle this can be. I have the exact same issue so I tell this to myself as much as u. I care about u and want us both to succeed! Have a good day.
You might need a stronger dose from it. How many mgs did he prescribe. I think doctors are sometimes overly cautious as they don't want to give you too high of dose because of side effects and serious complications that could occur later on.
Breathing exercises and self calming techniques and thinking happy thoughts all help my acid reflux sometimes. I understand its a daily struggle. It can come on suddenly. Is it a type of thing where sometimes you feel fine/okay but then you don't. etc. Also try some gentle exercises if u can, 30 mins a day. Try not to be stressed out about anything.
Try breathing in through your mouth for 5 seconds, and then exhaling the air and breathing out for 15 seconds while saying OMMMMM. Don't think about anything , just do the techinque. As much as u can/want until you calm down and start to feel better. This also can help.
There are other meds that work stronger than Omeprazole he could prescribe u. I forgot the name of them, but you could try that. I had to take that for while when it was really bad. Now I'm back on the Omeprazole.
Understand your trigger foods. This is a little more tricky.... but I personally need to stay away from onions and processed junk food. Make ur meals small and light. Its okay to not eat for awhile. Small healthy and light meals are better anyway.
Try not to lie down after 30 mins of eating or drinking. Easier said than done but it really helps. Force yourself to at least sit up and not lie down.
I like coffee but it also seems to trigger it really bad in the mornings. ITs hard cuz I love the taste and smell of it- but it seems to be a trigger for me. Slowly eat and sip, its better for u anyway. Sleep with an elevated pillow if u aren't already. Join a program to lose dangerous belly fat around the middle, which could be pushing organs up in bad places and causing bad chest discomfort. Keep a food journal to keep ur weight/health in check and to pay attention to trigger foods. Acting too carefree with it and not fight directly against it- it can creep up on you again.
Don't do bad habits again when you start to feel better and ur body heals. This hard for me as if i feel good- i think I can do something bad for it because 'it can take it' but its stupid thinking. just stay on track with the plan.
I know how much of a struggle this can be. I have the exact same issue so I tell this to myself as much as u. I care about u and want us both to succeed! Have a good day.
bin_tenn
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Not everyone finds success with every medication. I took a low dose Omeprazole several years ago, for 30 days. I eventually felt a little relief, but not much. Then I'm 2016 I started Pantoprazole (generic Protonix) 40mg and doctor had me stop it last year. It worked wonders for me. Since I stopped it, I only have reflux if I've not done well with controlling what I eat and things like that. Maybe it'd work for you, too?
Wow! Thank you so much for this fantastic response!! Great suggestions!
Thank you! I might have to ask for something stronger. The reflux is so bad I haven’t been able to work.
FinneousRex
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Acid reflux is burning your stomach and throat. Omeprazole is just a proactive antacid basically. You wouldn’t see improvement in 3 days. Your body needs to heal while the medication is proactively working. Trust me. I have had the worst stomach issues for 4 years. Just the way of the world with it!
Thanks! Unfortunately patience is not a strong quality of mine.
I have also been on Protonix off and on for a few years, depending how good I’m being, and have gotten good results with little to no side effects. However I do notice that if I go through a spurt where I’m super anxious, drink coffee everyday, and eat bad and late at night no medicine in the world can stop it.
My anxiety is off the charts!! The fact that I can’t get any tests done for at least 2 months is just adding fuel to the fire.
bin_tenn
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Talk to your doctor or pharmacist, they can advise. I'd say at least 30 days though.
Oh wow. That’s long! This is all new for me and I’m feeling like I’ll never be able to eat normally again. Guess I’ll really need to work on my patience. Thanks for replying!
worriedbella
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Hi, this thread hasn't been active in a while but I have just finished taking Omeprazole once a day for 30 days and I found this when I searched to see if anyone else had gone through the same thing.
My symptoms were stomach pain in the morning, pain accompanying BM, a loss in appetite, some weight loss, lots of bloating and gas, noises coming from the stomach during the day, and general discomfort in the body... My GP gave me Omeprazole because he believed it would help. I didn't know I had acid reflux before he diagnosed it. Funnily enough I started getting a discomfort in my chest area after starting the medication.
After taking it for 3 days, I remember wanting to tell the GP that I wanted to stop. It felt like Omeprazole wasn't doing anything for me - and if anything, I remember feeling worse than I did before taking it. I still had stomach pain in the morning, and I remember dry heaving at the smell of my mother's cooking in the morning (and she's amazing at making food.) I had almost no appetite, and I could only get a few mouthfuls of breakfast before feeling too sick and full to eat any more. I felt like I was forcing myself to eat lunch. I was also getting bad diarrhoea in the afternoon when I got home from university, and that had never really been a problem before. I had loose stools, but not diarrhoea...
I consulted my GP and he said that 3 days is not long enough to make any judgements on anything, and that I should take it for at least 2 weeks before I decide that I want to stop taking the medication. I think I could only see improvements during the second half of the 30 days, so it's definitely a matter of being patient. I still have some symptoms such as stomach pain in the morning, loose stools, loss in appetite and weight, etc. but I really think those might now be caused by my stress/anxiety which I will hopefully get a grip on soon. Other symptoms like the pain accompanying BM and bloating and gas have improved. I don't feel the pain in the middle of my chest either.
I can't say that the medication worked perfectly, but I would say that it fixed a lot of my more worrisome symptoms... Obviously our symptoms and situations are not the same, but I wanted to say that even if something seems like it is not working, it still might be worth seeing it through. If your doctor has prescribed it, they probably have reasons for prescribing it to you. That's what I ended up thinking from this experience anyway. I also tried calling my country's health helpline because I was unsure about taking Omeprazole after I started getting those side effects, and the nurse said that Omeprazole was probably the one of the best medications of its category.
I don't know if my experience makes you feel any better. I just wanted you to know that I also had zero luck with Omeprazole at first, but then it ended up being somewhat effective for me in the end. Maybe Omeprazole is not right for you after all, but again, you might only get results after some amount of time. How are you getting on?
My symptoms were stomach pain in the morning, pain accompanying BM, a loss in appetite, some weight loss, lots of bloating and gas, noises coming from the stomach during the day, and general discomfort in the body... My GP gave me Omeprazole because he believed it would help. I didn't know I had acid reflux before he diagnosed it. Funnily enough I started getting a discomfort in my chest area after starting the medication.
After taking it for 3 days, I remember wanting to tell the GP that I wanted to stop. It felt like Omeprazole wasn't doing anything for me - and if anything, I remember feeling worse than I did before taking it. I still had stomach pain in the morning, and I remember dry heaving at the smell of my mother's cooking in the morning (and she's amazing at making food.) I had almost no appetite, and I could only get a few mouthfuls of breakfast before feeling too sick and full to eat any more. I felt like I was forcing myself to eat lunch. I was also getting bad diarrhoea in the afternoon when I got home from university, and that had never really been a problem before. I had loose stools, but not diarrhoea...
I consulted my GP and he said that 3 days is not long enough to make any judgements on anything, and that I should take it for at least 2 weeks before I decide that I want to stop taking the medication. I think I could only see improvements during the second half of the 30 days, so it's definitely a matter of being patient. I still have some symptoms such as stomach pain in the morning, loose stools, loss in appetite and weight, etc. but I really think those might now be caused by my stress/anxiety which I will hopefully get a grip on soon. Other symptoms like the pain accompanying BM and bloating and gas have improved. I don't feel the pain in the middle of my chest either.
I can't say that the medication worked perfectly, but I would say that it fixed a lot of my more worrisome symptoms... Obviously our symptoms and situations are not the same, but I wanted to say that even if something seems like it is not working, it still might be worth seeing it through. If your doctor has prescribed it, they probably have reasons for prescribing it to you. That's what I ended up thinking from this experience anyway. I also tried calling my country's health helpline because I was unsure about taking Omeprazole after I started getting those side effects, and the nurse said that Omeprazole was probably the one of the best medications of its category.
I don't know if my experience makes you feel any better. I just wanted you to know that I also had zero luck with Omeprazole at first, but then it ended up being somewhat effective for me in the end. Maybe Omeprazole is not right for you after all, but again, you might only get results after some amount of time. How are you getting on?
This is a super late reply but the medication did eventually help and I felt great. I ran out a few weeks ago and was lazy about refilling it. This past weekend my reflux came back with a vengeance! Guess I’m just someone that will need to be on it long term. I just got it refilled so hopefully it will kick in soon.
TenLettersRap
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what does your diet consist of?..now im not the type to promote any prescrips.. through reflux and anxiety issues i've avoided medications personally..i think they only serve to mask the underlying issue rather than solve it..and there is always a solution..which i've found comes 95% from eating right and when to eat..